A Book of One-Shots

Escaping

The young woman fell to the ground, kissing the dirt. She turned her head to the side and spat out a bit of blood. Her hands were bound behind her back, the rope cutting into her pale skin. Curly brown hair that had been poorly cut short floated in front of her eyes.

With a small grunt of effort she got to her knees, and then back to her feet. Her feet were bare, covered in dirt and cuts. She was overall very skinny, her cheeks hollow, her arms and legs like twigs. Looks are often deceiving, though, as this girl had managed to take out her two burly guards on her own. 

She ran down a worn path, constantly looking over her shoulder. She silently prayed she would find shelter soon. Then, she heard hoof beats, but they came from ahead. With a quick glance about, she dove off of the path and into some bushes. She huddled against an old tree, trying desperately to control her ragged breathing. It came in hitching gasps, and the girl longed for her aspirator.

The hoof beats slowed as a man that was obviously a guard stopped to investigate. He had seen a blur move about from afar, and assumed an animal had been frightened off by his horse's hoof beats. Something still seemed off to him, though. He dismounted and inspected the trail, dimly noticing the spots of blood. He could hear breathing, - harsh, labored, breathing.

The girl scrambled away, deeper into the woods. She could hear the guard clumsily making his way through the thick vegetation behind her. Her chest heaved as she tried to keep running.

"Hey!" the guard cried, noticing the young woman. Her eyes widened, and she took off again, ignoring the pain in her lungs.

A siren blared in the distance, the guard having notified the center of the young escapee. They would all be after her now.

If only things could be as simple as before.